Fred Rogers, beloved TV personality from the series “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood”, weighed precisely 143 pounds for over 30 years. He refused to do anything that would compromise his health. He did not drink or smoke. He never went to bed early, never woke up late, and went swimming every day. He had an extremely calming presence – he seemed like somebody who was never ‘overwhelmed’ by anything.
For most people, getting overwhelmed with their life from time to time is normal. Is it a good thing? Heck no, but it’s all too common. Where does it come from, exactly?
“Overwhelm” is something felt when you have too much to do… but you’re not sure how to do it all… and in fact you aren’t even sure where to begin. A very familiar story for those in the trucking industry, which is extremely fast-paced and characterized by hard work. When your company is at stake, and you want to grow and be profitable, it’s natural to take on more and more tasks – and it can get out of control very quickly. Eventually, you find yourself stuck in ‘maintenance mode.’ You want to add more drivers, more customers, and find more profitable lanes… but you’re stuck with a mountain of work related to the day-to-day operations of the company. You’re entering data instead of analyzing the bigger picture.
This is actually a problem of systems or boundaries. Either the boundaries you place around your time are too limited and too much is getting through – OR – the systems you have in place are inadequate, compared to your ambitions.
Not a big deal! Keep reading, and you will find out a way to add 3-4 hours to your own days, and to the days of everyone who works in your business. You will have a system as effective as Mr. Rogers.
